COVID Update – November 26th 2020

The roller coaster continues…

There has been more about ski resorts in the press in the last fortnight and some journalism capturing the 10 minutes of queues at the weekend in Zermatt. From our (albeit lucky) perspective it struck a little bit of some standard tabloid moments. Yes at the weekend there were more people skiing, yes there was a queue, but it was not for long and people are sticking to the rules and wearing masks. The next day the police were there keeping an eye on things (unsurprisingly little coverage from the press) and since then there are more guides on the ground reminding people where to stand.

Is skiing high risk for catching COVID? Like the rest of this who knows?
Is Zermatt doing what it can to keep things going safely? Yes, we think so.

Socially distant queuing measures in place this week.

WHAT's NEW?

R number below 1

Reports suggest the R rate in Switzerland is now at below 0.8 with the lowest reproduction rates being in Geneva, Jura, Fribourg and Valais

Uncertainty in France

The news this week that bars and restaurants in France will remain closed until the end of Jan and ski resorts may or may not open is bad news. It’s so hard for anyone to plan a holiday, let alone how to run a business with so much uncertainty.

European ski ban?

Germany and Italy seem keen on banning the opening of ski resorts until the end of January…Switzerland seem much less keen on this concept we are happy to hear!

THE NUMBERS...

New cases in Switzerland

The 7 day rolling average for new cases in Switzerland is down from 7557 to 4118. The R rate is apparently now below 0.8 which would suggest that the measures put in place by the Canton of Valais and the Swiss Federal Government are working without us going into full lock-down.

New cases in Valais

New cases in Valais are decreasing. Hopefully this is due to the measures put in place and people following the rules and not less tests.

The situation in Zermatt

The Bergbahnen have spent a lot of time the last week making sure the lift stations are ready for people, yellow lines to sign suitable social distancing. The lift operators are checking and ensuring everyone using the lifts is wearing a mask all the time. It is great to be skiing and we are making the most of it.

Matterhorn Paradise lift pass policy re COVID for winter 20/21

In a nutshell if you book your lift pass online but can’t make it out to Zermatt due to travel bans, you or persons cloasely associated catching COVID-19 or resort facilities being closed due to federal or cantonal authorities then you will be issued with a credit note for the lift pass that is valid for 5 years. There are other insurance options and some lift passes are not valid for the credit note scheme so be sure to check the terms and conditions in detail.

Picture of Henry Meredith Hardy

Henry Meredith Hardy

Henry is one of the owners of Summit and has been in Zermatt since 2000. He came to the mountains to ski and still loves it. Henry also works as a trainer for BASI and heads up out various training programs.

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